The present invention relates generally to authentication of packaged products.
Introduction of fraudulent products is common in product distribution systems. Counterfeit or misrepresented goods can be injected at various points in a supply chain, and it is difficult for users to identify fraudulent products. A pertinent example is the pharmaceutical supply chain where injection of fraudulent products is of increasing concern to the World Health Organization. Techniques include imitating genuine product packaging for counterfeit products, altering critical product information, such as expiry dates, on packaging, and substituting products from one authentic packaging into another. As an illustrative example, medical test devices are common targets for fraud of this nature. In general, increasing profit margins continue to motivate fraud and counterfeiting, particularly for products that are easy to fabricate and/or widely used.
Current mechanisms for authentication of packaged products include printed information (e.g., text, logos, etc.), or security features such as holograms or QR codes on product labels or packaging. Various types of tamper-evident or hard-to-reproduce labels or similar security features have also been proposed. Some security mechanisms make use of computers for authentication. For example, QR codes can be scanned to present authentication information to a user, or a product code revealed by scratching a label can be sent to a server for authentication. Use of RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags on products is also known. Such tags can be programmed with unique identifiers (UIDs) which can be digitally signed, and the signatures verified by RFID readers.
Existing security mechanisms suffer from one or a combination of various disadvantages. For example, known mechanisms may be vulnerable to modification or reproduction to misrepresent products, may be impractical or unsuitable for particular products/user scenarios, or may have adverse complexity or cost implications, and can still leave products open to various types of fraud.
Improvements in mechanisms for authenticating packaged products would be highly desirable.